The invention relates to a method of packaging draperies for purposes of storage or transportation. It also relates to a packaging element for packaging draperies, and the resultant drapery package.
Draperies are typically pleated at their upper ends, making it impossible to fold them flat for purposes of storage or transportation. Another way to accommodate them, therefore, had to be devised. In the past, they were commonly hung on low-grade wire hangers and shipped in wardrobe cartons, using a combination of materials and methods. The folding and packaging for shipment or storage, however, results in the draperies frequently getting creased or wrinkled. Attempts have been made to overcome these difficulties. Some prior art approaches involve wrapping the pleated or fan-folded fabric around a flat, corrugated cardboard core. The problem with such a system is that the fabric receives distinct fold lines when wrapped onto such a two-dimensional core.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,996 attempts to improve on this problem by showing a drapery package comprising a three dimensional core member that essentially has a C-shaped profile defining. The 996 patent requires that the drapery first be longitudinally folded, and then its lower end inserted into a U-shaped gap defined by the core member. The resultant drapery packages are placed into cartons and shipped. Not only does the need for folding the drapery require significant amounts of labor, the drapery is also prone to creasing by virtue of the fact that the packages abut one another.
According to the invention, there is provided a packaging element for packaging fabric, comprising a core and a pair of side panels sandwiching the core between them, wherein the core defines a substantially C-shaped structure.
Preferably, the core has a U-shaped end and a V-shaped end and is made by folding a planar material into the core""s C-shaped configuration. The core may be secured to the side panels by means of tabs formed integrally with the rest of the core to extend from the core. The tabs are passed through complimentary slots in the side panels. Preferably, the side panels include incisions or other means for securing at least one free end of the fabric. Instead of such means on the side panels, or in addition thereto, the drapery may be secured relative to the core by means of separate securing means such as elastic bands or shrink wrap.
In a preferred embodiment, the drapery is mechanically wound onto the packaging element. For this purpose the side panels may include facilities for securing the packaging element to a winder for winding the fabric onto the core. For instance, the side panels may have holes for receiving pins that can be attached to a winding motor.
Further, according to the invention there is provided a drapery package comprising a packaging element and a drapery wound around the packaging element.
Still further, according to the invention, there is provided a method of packaging a drapery comprising the steps of providing a packaging element that includes a C-shaped core sandwiched between two side panels, inserting a portion of the drapery into the C-shaped core, and winding the drapery around the core.
Preferably, the pleats at the upper end of the drapery are pushed together and inserted into the core. In an embodiment where the core has a U-shaped end, the pleats are preferably inserted into the U-shaped end. Typically, the drapery is wound around the core by rotating the packaging element.